White Heather for Protection

A Most Demanding Cup

Withholding a put-out sigh, Heather lined up with her housemates in the entrance hall. She'd been disturbed in the middle of her meditation exercise by Melinda, one of the Slytherins in her year she was actually on polite terms with. Despite her reluctance to stop, she'd remembered that the gathering was compulsory.

It was a massive waste of time. This was all just to welcome the two other prominent magic schools in Europe. Well, at least now she would stop hearing all the speculation about Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian national Quidditch team's seeker. Even Fred and George had shown excitement about him, though not as much as Ron. Don't get her wrong - she liked Quidditch. She just didn't see the appeal of placing professional players on pedestals. Perhaps she was just biased. No Potions or Rune Masters were hailed as celebrities just by virtue of their occupations, after all.

The sudden buzz of excitement throughout the student body alerted Heather. She followed the students' gazes to the sky. Flying through towards the castle was a large carriage of sorts, led by gigantic horses. They were too large to be anything but magically bred. The carriage landed a short distance from where the Gryffs were standing. Up close, the horses looked even larger than expected. Someone went to unlatch the door, allowing the people inside to step out.

Suddenly, Heather understood the reason for the gargantuan horses. For the woman who stepped out of the carriage was huge. No, she didn't mean that she was obese. She was probably a giantess, or at least part. And apparently the Headmistress of Beauxbatons. About a dozen of her students gracefully followed behind her. How they did that when they were obviously catching their death of cold was beyond her.

While Professor Dumbledore exchanged pleasantries with the visiting Headmistress, Heather retreated into her mind to continue meditating. It had taken her a while to learn how to do so whenever she wanted, but it had paid off in how much more focussed she was now. Professor Snape hadn't progressed to the full Legilimens yet, wanting her to be able to sense and block the partial one first.

She snapped to attention when loud murmuring filled the hall again. The students were even more excited this time, probably anticipating the arrival of Viktor Krum. She watched as a large ship emerged from the Black Lake. She wondered why they hadn't just sailed on the water instead of beneath it. Either they wanted to avoid the notice of muggles, which disillusioning charms could have done, or they just wanted to make an impression, which was likely the case.

The Durmstrang Headmaster greeted his fellow heads of schools while his students lined up behind him in military fashion. He very loudly mentioned something about Viktor Krum and immediately, everyone's gaze was drawn to the student behind him. A ploy to usurp attention. An obvious and badly-executed one at that, judging by the sneer on her Head of House's face.

Finally, they were herded back into the Great Hall for dinner. Heather found a seat near the end of the Slytherin table and waited for the meal to begin. She watched as the visiting students dithered about trying to decide where to sit. Feeling someone unfamiliar approach her from behind, she tensed.

"Is this seat taken?" a heavily accented voice asked.

She looked up and up and up. This person was tall. This person was also Viktor Krum. "Yes, it is."

Surprise filtered into his eyes at her refusal. Daphne had asked her to save her a seat. Heather didn't care that this wizard was an internationally-acclaimed seeker.

"Vat about that vone?" The heavyset wizard pointed to the chair across the table from hers.

"Empty. You can have it, if you want."

Heather felt the weight of several gazes as Krum sat opposite her. She rolled her eyes inwardly. If everyone was so fixated on Krum's celebrity, it was no wonder that he'd chosen to sit where he wouldn't be gawked at. She brushed off the subtle glares of her housemates. Strangely enough, Malfoy seemed to be glaring at Krum instead of her. Offended by the perceived slight, she guessed.